Limes and Teeth

[freeztar]

I love limes! On a good week I will go through a bag of them. I eat them like an orange, not as a garnish.

 

I know this is bad for my teeth, specifically my enamel, because of the high concentrations of citric acid. Instead of curbing my craving, I was wondering if there are other measures I could take. I've tried to research it, but nothing out there AFAICT.

 

So, my questions are:

How fast does the acid work to dissolve the enamel? Is it instantaneous, or does it take several hours of exposure? Would it help to brush my teeth right after eating a lime? I've also thought of swishing with some baking soda water, would that nuetralize the acid? Would something else work better?

 

Inquiring minds want to know...:evil:

[Mercedes Benzene]

Ingesting any quantity of acid is going to leave your teeth vulnerable for probably around an hour unless something is done to correct it.

Acids work my demineralizing the special form of Calcium Phosphate that makes up the majority of your tooth enamel. Among the prodcuts are [ce]Ca^{+2}[/ce] and [ce]HPO4^{-2}[/ce].

Fortunately, your mouth releases chemicals that help to neutralize the creation of these products.... but you need to take extra steps when eating limes for instance, because your mouth cannot neutralize the acid quickly enough.

 

Brushing your teeth right after eating limes would not be the best option because you'd just be brushing away the weakened enamel. Your best bet would be to, as you said, swish some basic solution (although baking soda doesn't seem that pleasant:D), and fluoridated water.

Also, chewing gum containing the sugar xylitol may also help, since studies have shown that it can actually help to reverse demineralization and prevent cavities!:D

[Queso]

I was just taught that baking soda is very abrasive, and if used too much can be bad for your teeth. heh

[Mercedes Benzene]

I was just taught that baking soda is very abrasive, and if used too much can be bad for your teeth. heh

 

Yeah. That sounds about right. :xparty:

Haha. But really, a little goes a long way, so there's no need to overdo it.

[Monomer]

I drink tons of fruit juice and green tea and have problems with teeth discolouration. My dentist recommened chewing a gum called Recaldent which contains casein phosphopeptides-amorphous calcium phosphate which helps rebuild the enamel. I haven't had a problem with discoloured teeth since, so perhaps you could try that.

 

The New Cavity Fighters: Science News Online, Aug. 19, 2000

Dental Additives

[freeztar]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll definitely be looking into the suggestions. :)

[freeztar]

I drink tons of fruit juice and green tea and have problems with teeth discolouration. My dentist recommened chewing a gum called Recaldent which contains casein phosphopeptides-amorphous calcium phosphate which helps rebuild the enamel. I haven't had a problem with discoloured teeth since, so perhaps you could try that.

 

The New Cavity Fighters: Science News Online, Aug. 19, 2000

Dental Additives

 

I've started chewing "Trident White" gum that has Recaldent (the only one in America AFAICT). No drastic results yet, but it certainly makes me feel more at ease. Thanks for that tip monomer!